Kanwar Yatra 2025: With the ongoing Kanwar Yatra 2025, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has taken an active step by placing stickers on restaurants, eateries, and grocery stores along the routes that Kanwariyas will follow in Delhi. These stickers certify that the shops sell exclusively vegetarian food items, aligning with the religious sentiments of the devotees.
This comes shortly after Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra, who leads a panel of MLAs overseeing the Yatra preparations, stated that meat shops along these routes would be shut during the pilgrimage. However, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) clarified that it does not have the authority to enforce such closures, as reported by the Times of India.
The saffron-colored stickers feature the slogan “garv se kaho hum Hindu hain” at the top and “sanatani vyaparik sansthan” underneath. According to VHP state general secretary Surendra Gupta, teams have been organized across Delhi’s 30 districts to put these stickers on approximately 5,000 shops. He emphasized that it is the shopkeepers’ choice to display the stickers, and on the ground reports indicate that shops owned by minority communities have generally not been included.
Gupta highlighted the importance of maintaining the sanctity of the pilgrimage, calling the journey undertaken by Shiva devotees “very strenuous and pious.” He explained, “The devotees do not even put their water containers on the ground during their yatra. If they buy anything to eat from any of these shops, they should be sure that it is as per the traditional values of Sanatan Dharma.” He further added that shop owners are being encouraged to provide “swaichchhik pramanikta” (voluntary certification) affirming the purity of their food products.
While many devotees prefer to eat at camps set up by Yatra committees along the main roads, Gupta acknowledged that a significant number still purchase food from local shops and eateries. To ensure adherence to “traditional sanatani values,” VHP teams have been inspecting food items before granting the certification stickers. Efforts are also underway to make the Kanwar yatris aware of these certified ‘sanatani’ shops, encouraging them to buy only from these outlets.
The Kanwar Yatra began on Friday, with large numbers of devotees already reaching the holy city of Haridwar to collect water from the Ganges. Pilgrims heading to other states are expected to arrive in Delhi over the coming days, with the majority anticipated to be in the capital 3 to 4 days before the Yatra concludes with the water offering ceremony on July 23.
Gupta noted that the certification of ‘sanatani’ shops will continue even after the pilgrimage ends. “We will make a comprehensive list of all such shops and award them certificates,” he said, indicating that the initiative is part of a longer-term effort to support businesses that uphold these traditional values.
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